Sunday, 16 December 2018

Reinstate Paul Jonson!

Defend trade unionists’ right to free speech! Defend employment rights!Paul Jonson, a community safety officer in Dudley and a member of Unison, has been suspended by his employer, Dudley Council.According to a report in the local press, Paul was suspended by Dudley Council for a Facebook post stating “Stand up for Palestine – Israel is a racist endeavour”.Paul is a long-standing anti-racist activist and campaigner against antisemitism and all forms of racism. He is also an active campaigner for Palestinian rights.Whatever one’s views on Israel or the nature of the Israeli state and its founding, there is nothing antisemitic about this statement.Paul’s suspension is an attack on every trade unionist’s right to engage in political and human rights’ campaigns outside work; it is an attack on employees’ right to freedom speech and specifically an attack on the right to campaign over Palestinian rights.more details...

Iran: Stop jailing teachers now

Iranian teachers and education workers continue to face severe repression for peacefully defending their rights and freedoms. At least 15 teachers were arrested and many others were summoned for questioning or threatened by the security services for their participation in a two-day peaceful strike action called by the Coordination Council of Iranian Teacher Trade Associations (CCITTA) in many cities across Iran on 13-14 November 2018. A similar nationwide teachers' strike on 14-15 October already resulted in the arrests of teacher activists. Teachers were demanding decent wages, free quality education for all and the right to form and join independent workers' organisations. They were also requesting the release of all teachers already detained for defending their rights. We need your urgent support to call upon the Iranian authorities to stop the persecution and criminalisation of teacher rights activists and independent unionists.

Stansted 15

The Stansted 15 are a group of concerned citizens who peacefully stopped a deportation flight to Nigeria and Ghana at Stansted airport on 28 March 2017.

They have now been convicted. The Stansted 15 expected to face retribution for their protest. They never expected to be found guilty of terrorism offences. But the group became the first activists involved in a non-violent direct action protest to be convicted under laws that were formulated in response to the Lockerbie bombing.

The group had information of people meant to be on that flight, who would be put in extreme danger if they were forcibly returned. The group knew about their stories from the website Detained Voices. For example, a lesbian women feared persecution by the Nigerian authorities if returned to Nigeria, her abusive ex husband who she was made to marry had also told her he would kill her on return. Nigeria is one of the most dangerous places in the world for LGBT people. The Stansted 15 also knew that the Home Office was not respecting rule of law, some of the people scheduled to be on the plane had ongoing claims and had not exhausted the legal process. The Stansted 15 were deeply concerned about the treatment of detained people during the deportation process as well.

I was convicted of an absurd terror-related charge this week, on International Human Rights Day. The Stansted 15 – as we are known – have been tried for “endangering safety at airports” following our peaceful action against a deportation plane set to fly to Ghana and Nigeria in March 2017.

This charge, and the way the prosecution made its case throughout, has been political and vindictive. We were subjected to a ten-week trial at what must have been vast public expense.

I am proud of what we did and what the groups involved – End Deportations, Plane Stupid, and Lesbians and Gays Support the Migrants – have achieved. We helped to expose a massive government scandal.

We now know that the government has been deporting people en masse on a routine basis – many of these people had claims that had not been heard properly. In doing so, the Home Office has shown contempt for rule of law and due process.

Eleven of the 60 people scheduled to be on the plane we stopped remain in the country today. These people include trafficking survivors and people who have claimed asylum. At least one person has already secured leave to remain.

If I was put in a situation of extreme danger by my own government, as people on the plane we stopped were, I would want someone to intervene on my behalf. In March 2017 I was responding to a plea from someone I knew would be on the plane, whose story was posted on Detained Voices when they got the ticket for the deportation plane. They said: “I came to England for protection, I seek asylum here. I believe the UK could help me… Nobody hears our cry. We are crying. Please, we need to be rescued. Please can anybody helps us?”

From volunteering at Walthamstow Migrant Support Centre, I know about the misery experienced by people subject to immigration control. I found this person’s story compelling and totally credible.

The Home Office routinely breaks the law in refusing people’s claims without good reason, and in deporting them. They haven’t confirmed if the 49 people subsequently deported from our flight were of the Windrush generation, and they haven’t contacted those affected to tell them about the newly-established Windrush Taskforce.

If the government can totally disregard the law and get away with it, then none of us are safe – all our rights are under threat. The hostile environment is hostile to all of us. While these charter planes carrying deportees are still flying, we will keep up the campaign to end this brutal practice. It is now my mission to hold the government to account for its dark deeds.

I think about the people on the plane every day. Their words give me courage: “When something is wrong people have to stand up. The problem is with the Home Office. No-one checks on them, they have absolute power over peoples lives. They do whatever they want. People must stand up against injustice. We are very proud of the protesters. They did the right thing.”

– Charter flights (private, mass deportation flights chartered by the Home Office), like the plane stopped, are a particularly brutal, secretive and barely legal plank of the hostile environment policy as championed by Theresa May. People are racially targeted based on their perceived nationality, then ripped from their communities, friends and loved ones before they are forcibly deported. People are often deported before they can get access to a decent lawyer. Legal aid is available in limited cases and it’s very difficult to access even where it is available. People are seriously abused by guards involved in the deportation process. Being tranquillised, ‘dragged like a goat’ in a restraint belt, and racially abused, are all commonplace experiences. Charter flights take place in the middle of the night in a remote part of Stansted airport where the public cannot observe the dark deeds that are taking place. This offends common decency.

You can find a lot of information on the End Deportations website…Facts:The Stansted 15 have been the targets of a political frame up. They have been charged with endangering safety at airports under terrorism-related legislation. They have ensured a 10 week trial so far. The Government is in fact guilty of the charge the State has levied against the Stansted 15 – the Government endangers people every day with their brutal, unfair hostile environment policies and particularly the barbaric practice of charter flights.

– Decent people must be united in their condemnation of charter flights and their solidarity with the Stansted 15. Peaceful dissent to defend our rights – and those of our migrant brothers and sisters – is noted never could be an act of terror. State terror must be identified, called out, and opposed.

– The action by the Stansted 15 has mean that 11 of the 60 people due to be deported that night are still in the UK with their friends and families. More details from the House of Commons website…

BOYCOTT SENATE HOUSE

"I pledge to not attend or organise any events at the University of London central administration (including Senate House, Stewart House, the Warburg Institute, the Institute of Historical Research, the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and Student Central) until all outsourced workers (including cleaners, receptionists, security officers, catering staff, porters, audiovisual workers, gardeners and maintenance workers) are made direct employees of the University of London on equal terms and conditions with other directly employed staff." - sign up here...

Don't forget that Housmans has plenty of other more gifty books, including the best political fiction, music, art, graphic novels etc. , as well as plenty of gift items: radical mugs, teatowels, pins, candles, seasonal cards and so on.

Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-LodgeThe book that sparked a national conversation. Exploring everything from eradicated black history to the inextricable link between class and race, Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race is the essential handbook for anyone who wants to understand race relations in Britain today.Joint winner of the Bread & Roses Award for Radical Publishing 2018Familiar Stranger: A Life between Two Islands by Stuart Hall"Vivid... a subtle and subversive memoir of the end of Empire", Colin Grant in The GuardianJoint winner of the Bread & Roses Award for Radical Publishing 2018Your Silence Will Not Protect You : Essays and Poems by Audre LordeYour Silence Will Not Protect You is a 2017 posthumous collection of essays, speeches, and poems by African American author and poet Audre Lorde. It is the first time a British publisher collected Lorde's work into one volume.

K-Punk: The Collected and Unpublished Writings of Mark Fisher Covering the period 2004 - 2016, the collection will includes some of the best writings from Mark Fisher's blog k-punk; a selection of his brilliantly insightful film, television and music reviews; his key writings on politics, activism, precarity, hauntology, mental health and popular modernism for numerous websites and magazines; his final unfinished introduction to his planned work on ''Acid Communism''; and a number of important interviews.

Nasty Women edited by Heather McDaid"An essential window into many of the hazard-strewn worlds younger women are living in right" now.' - Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid's Tale

Tottenham's Trojan Horse? by Amanda Lillywhite and Mark PatonA community in Tottenham is at risk of having their homes and businesses demolished to clear the way for regeneration led by the new Tottenham Hotspur football stadium. "Tottenham's Trojan Horse?" shows the impact of the proposals on individuals and how they have joined with others to challenge Haringey council's plans.

Decolonising the University edited by Gurminder K. Bhambra, Dalia Gebrial, Kerem Nişancıoğlu"This is a fine collection of knowledgeable yet readable essays that comprehensively addresses a host of vital issues for our times: Eurocentrism, whiteness, power, free speech, inclusion and exclusion, and public higher education. It tells us why history matters and why education matters both within and beyond universities." -Priyamvada Gopal, University of Cambridge

The Good Immigrant edited by Nikesh ShuklaBringing together 21 exciting black, Asian and minority ethnic voices emerging in Britain today, The Good Immigrant explores why immigrants come to the UK, why they stay and what it means to be 'other' in a country that doesn't seem to want you, doesn't truly accept you – however many generations you've been here – but still needs you for its diversity monitoring forms.

Africa's Tarnished Name by Chinua AchebeElectrifying essays on the history, complexity, diversity of a continent, from the father of modern African literature.

Big Capital : Who is London for? by Anna MintonDespite the desperate shortage of housing, tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of affordable homes are being pulled down, replaced by luxury apartments aimed at foreign investors. In this ideological war, housing is no longer considered a public good. Anna Minton cuts through the complexities, jargon and spin to give a clear-sighted account of how we got into this mess and how we can get out of it.A Party with Socialists in It : A History of the Labour Left by Simon HannahHowever the British Labour Partyever truly been on the side of the workers? Where do its interests really lie? And can we rely on it to provide a barrier against right-wing forces? By looking into its history, this book shines a light on the internal dynamics of the 'party with socialists in it'.Unfuck Your Brain : Using Science To Get Over Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Freak-Outs, and Triggers by Faith HarperA no-nonsense and helpful guide on how to cope with a slew of mental-health issues that are hellbent on ruining the lives of millions of people worldwide.Women & Power : A Manifesto by Mary BeardMary Beard [...] exposes the roots of today's expectations of how a woman should behave [...]With references to mythological figures such as Perseus, Medusa, Philomela and Telemachus, she shows how often we've been told that "Speech will be the business of men" and that a woman who breaks this rule may risk having her tongue cut out. Time for change, she argues - and now! Jenni Murray, GuardianMr Bunny's Chocolate Factory by Elys Dolan"This book, about a bunch of chocolate-egg-laying chickens in a union dispute with their megalomaniacal rabbit boss at a chocolate factory is HILARIOUS. My five-year-old has requested it at ten successive bedtimes, and my eight-year-old enjoys doing the voices of the chickens. Also it teaches youngsters about labour politics and the importance of servant leadership in a profit-and-loss situation. It is SO FUNNY. Highly recommended." - Sarah Manley

Natives : Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire by Akala Covering everything from the police, education and identity to politics, sexual objectification and the far right, Natives will speak directly to British denial and squeamishness when it comes to confronting issues of race and class that are at the heart of the legacy of Britain's racialised empire.

Utopia for Realists : And How We Can Get There by Rutger Bregman In Utopia for Realists, Rutger Bregman shows that we can construct a society with visionary ideas that are, in fact, wholly implementable. Every milestone of civilisation - from the end of slavery to the beginning of democracy - was once considered a utopian fantasy. New utopian ideas such as universal basic income and a fifteen-hour work week can become reality in our lifetime.

Revolutionary Yiddishland : A History of Jewish Radicalism by Alain Brossat and Sylvie Klingberg"A fascinating window onto a lost world ... essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the complex relationship between the Jewish left, the general left, and Zionism. Brossat and Klingberg do not try to iron out the wrinkles of the past. Their insightful commentary illuminates the passions, paradoxes, triumphs and defeats of the witnesses who populate their book." -Brian Klug, author of Being Jewish and Doing Justice

White Privilege : The myth of a post-racial society by Kalwant BhopalWhy and how do those from black and minority ethnic communities continue to be marginalised? Despite claims that we now live in a post-racial society, race continues to disadvantage those from black and minority ethnic backgrounds. Drawing on topical debates and supported by empirical data, this important book examines the impact of race on wider issues of inequality and difference in society.Portraits of Violence : An Illustrated History of Radical Critique by Brad EvansBringing together established academics and award-winning comic book writers and illustrators, Portraits of Violence illustrates the most compelling ideas and episodes in the critique of violence. Hannah Arendt, Franz Fanon, Jacques Derrida, Edward Said, Paolo Freire, Michel Foucault, Susan Sontag, Noam Chomsky, Judith Butler, and Giorgio Agamben each have ten pages to tell their story in this innovative graphic title.The Shock Doctrine of the Left by Graham JonesShocks, from natural disasters to military catastrophes, have long been exploited by the state to impose privatization, cuts and rampant free markets. This book argues that the left can use such moments of chaos to achieve emancipation.

Radical Technologies : The Design of Everyday Life by Adam GreenfieldIn this urgent and revelatory excavation of our Information Age, leading technology thinker Adam Greenfield forces us to reconsider our relationship with the networked objects, services and spaces that define us. It is time to re-evaluate the Silicon Valley consensus determining the future.

Bullshit Jobs : A Theory by David GraeberBe honest: if your job didn't exist, would anybody miss it? Have you ever wondered why not? Up to 40% of us secretly believe our jobs probably aren't necessary. In other words: they are bullshit jobs. This book shows why, and what we can do about it.

Poverty Safari : Understanding the Anger of Britain's Underclass by Darren McGarveyArguing that both the political left and right misunderstand poverty as it is actually lived, McGarvey sets out what everybody – including himself – could do to change things. Razor-sharp, fearless and brutally honest, Poverty Safari is an unforgettable insight into modern Britain.

Sound System : The Political Power of Music by Dave Randall"Fascinating... A deeply intelligent look at music and society and in particular pop's tempestuous relationship with commerce. Thought provoking, readable and clever stuff." --Mark Radcliffe, BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music

Pride : The Unlikely Story of the True Heroes of the Miner's Strike by Tim TateThe true story of the campaign and subsequent film! In 1984, a small group of metropolitan homosexual men and lesbian women stepped away from the vibrant culture and hedonism of London's defiant gay scene to befriend and support the beleaguered villages of a very traditional mining community in the remote valleys of South Wales.

Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi AdichieA few years ago, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie received a letter from a dear friend from childhood, asking her how to raise her baby girl as a feminist. Dear Ijeawele is Adichie's letter of response.

Dark Days by James BaldwinDrawing on Baldwin's own experiences of prejudice in an America violently divided by race, these searing essays blend the intensely personal with the political to envisage a better world.

Optimism Over Despair by Noam ChomskyAn essential overview of the problems of our world today, and how we should prepare for tomorrow. An exploration of rising neoliberalism, the refugee crisis in Europe, the Black Lives Matter movement, the dysfunctional US electoral system, and the prospects and challenges of building a movement for radical change.Things That Help: Healing Our Lives Through Feminism, Anarchism, Punk, & Adventure by Cindy CrabbLiving in the margins of a culture she never felt comfortable in, Cindy Crabb touches on her experiences with feminism, girl-gangs, abuse, and gender identity. With stories, essays, interviews, and more, Cindy writes with fierce honesty and compassion, exploring subjects like consent, abortion, death, self-image, shyness, identity, and anarchism.

Alt-Right : From 4chan to the White House by Mike WendlingThis book is a vital guide to understanding the Alt-Right - the white nationalist, anti-feminist, far-right movement that rose to prominence during Donald Trump's successful election campaign in the United States. It looks at the support for this reactionary network, arguing that while Trump is in office and the far-right grows across Europe, we need to gain a deeper understanding of the movement's philosophy, history and role in politics today.

Class Struggle and Mental Health by Freedom PressOriginally compiled following a series of discussions on online forums, this thoughtful work brings together accounts from anarchists around the globe about what it means to suffer from mental illness and what we, as individuals and a movement, can do about it.

Platform Capitalism by Nick SrnicekPlatform Capitalism shows how the fundamental foundations of the economy are rapidly being carved up among a small number of monopolistic tech platforms, and how the platform introduces new tendencies within capitalism that pose significant challenges to any vision of a post-capitalist future.

Economics for the Many edited by John McDonnellFeatures contributions from the participants in McDonnell's New Economics conferences, including Faiza Shaheen, Barry Gardiner, Prem Sikka, Ann Pettifor, Paul Mason, Rebecca Long-Bailey and covers topics from housing, public ownership and fairer international trading systems to industrial policy for the 21st century and how to tackle tax avoidance and regional imbalances. You Have the Right to Remain Fat : A Manifesto by Virgie TovarTovar is hungry for a world where bodies are valued equally, food is free from moral judgment, and you can jiggle through life with respect. In concise and candid language, she delves into unlearning fatphobia, dismantling sexist notions of fashion, and rejecting diet culture's greatest lie: that fat people need to wait before beginning their best lives.

Trans Like Me : A Journey for All of Us by C. N.LesterIn this eye-opening book, CN Lester, academic and activist, takes us on a journey through some of the most pressing issues concerning the trans debate: from pronouns to Caitlyn Jenner; from feminist and LGBTQ activists, to the rise in referrals for gender variant children - all by way of insightful and moving passages about the author's own experience.

Eleanor Marx : A Life by Rachel HolmesUnrestrained by convention, lion-hearted and free, Eleanor Marx (1855-98) was an exceptional woman. Hers was the first English translation of Flaubert's Mme Bovary. She pioneered the theatre of Henrik Ibsen. She was the first woman to lead the British dock workers' and gas workers' trades unions. For years she worked tirelessly for her father, Karl Marx, as personal secretary and researcher. Later she edited many of his key political works, and laid the foundations for his biography. But foremost among her achievements was her pioneering feminism. For her, sexual equality was a necessary precondition for a just society.

Mistaken Identity : Race and Class in the Age of Trump by Asad HaiderWhether class or race is the more important factor in modern politics is a question right at the heart of recent history's most contentious debates Drawing on the words and deeds of black revolutionary theorists, he argues that identity politics is not synonymous with anti-racism, but instead amounts to the neutralization of its movements. It marks a retreat from the crucial passage of identity to solidarity, and from individual recognition to the collective struggle against an oppressive social structureCorbyn : The Resurrection by Steve BellSince his unforeseen resurrection from the tepid ashes of the Labour Party in 2015, Jeremy Corbyn has been on a seemingly unstoppable upward trajectory. And one of Britain's best-loved political cartoonists, Steve Bell, has been with him every step of the way.....

Antifa : The Anti-Fascist Handbook by Mark BrayIn a smart and gripping investigation, historian and former Occupy Wall Street organizer Mark Bray provides a detailed survey of the full history of anti-fascism from its origins to the present day - the first transnational history of postwar anti-fascism in English. Based on interviews with anti-fascists from around the world, Antifa details the tactics of the movement and the philosophy behind it, offering insight into the growing but little-understood resistance fighting back against fascism in all its guises.

Devotion by Patti SmithThe national bestseller from the renowned artist and author Patti Smith, exploring the nature of creative invention. In this groundbreaking book, one of our culture's beloved artists offers a detailed account of her own creative process, inspirations, and unexpected connections.

This Is Your Brain On Anxiety : What Happens and What Helps by Faith G.Harper This book is a lifesaver for panic attacks, breaking out of flight-or-fight-or-freeze responses, and for chronic anxiety. It's also good for folks who aren't burdened by anxiety daily but want to cope better with those tough life situations that affect us all. Read this and breathe!

The Hate U Give by Angie ThomasInspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this is a powerful and gripping YA novel about one girl's struggle for justice. Winner of the Children's Book of the Year 2018 at the British Book Awards.May Made Me : An Oral History of the 1968 Uprising in France by Mitchell AbidorThis book reveals the legacy of the uprising: how those explosive experiences changed both those who took part, and the course of history. May Made Me will record these moments before history moves on yet again.

Mad Bad & Sad by Lisa AppignanesiThis is the story of how we have understood mental disorders and extreme states of mind in women over the last two hundred years and how we conceive of them today, when more and more of our inner life and emotions have become a matter for medics and therapists.

Talking to My Daughter About the Economy : A Brief History of Capitalism by Yanis VaroufakisIn this intimate and accessible book, economist Yanis Varoufakis sets out to answer his daughter Xenia's deceptively simple question. Drawing on memories of her childhood and a variety of well-known tales – from Oedipus and Faust to Frankenstein and The Matrix -- Talking To My Daughter About the Economy explains everything you need to know in order to understand why economics is the most important drama of our times.

Living a Feminist Life by Sara AhmedIn Living a Feminist Life Sara Ahmed shows how feminist theory is generated from everyday life and the ordinary experiences of being a feminist at home and at work. Building on legacies of feminist of color scholarship in particular, Ahmed offers a poetic and personal meditation on how feminists become estranged from worlds they critique—often by naming and calling attention to problems—and how feminists learn about worlds from their efforts to transform

Doughnut Economics : Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist by Kate RaworthCan it be fixed? In Doughnut Economics, Oxford academic Kate Raworth identifies seven critical ways in which mainstream economics has led us astray, and sets out a roadmap for bringing humanity into a sweet spot that meets the needs of all within the means of the planet. En route, she deconstructs the character of 'rational economic man' and explains what really makes us tick.

The Rhyming Guide to Grenfell Britain by Potent WhisperThe Rhyming Guide to Grenfell Britain is Potent Whisper's debut spoken word collection. Bringing together nine full-length pieces, the book dismantles and offers radical solutions to the most pressing sociopolitical issues of our time. More than pages of a book, each piece has actively served campaigns on the ground for the past two years; being delivered at demonstrations, in council chambers, on television news channels and at political occupations. The Violence of Austerity by Vickie CooperAusterity, a response to the aftermath of the financial crisis, continues to devastate contemporary Britain. In The Violence of Austerity, Vickie Cooper and David Whyte bring together the voices of campaigners and academics including Danny Dorling, Mary O'Hara and Rizwaan Sabir to show that rather than stimulating economic growth, austerity policies have led to a dismantling of the social systems that operated as a buffer against economic hardship, exposing austerity to be a form of systematic violence.

The next Green Left Meetings

Saturday 19 January 2019: London

GP Conference: Date / location tba

Saturday 13 April 2019: Manchester

Saturday 8 June 2019: Brighton

AGM Saturday 20 July 2019; London

Ecosocialist Network

Individuals from a variety of Green and/or Left political organisations and traditions in the UK are now engaged in launching an Ecosocialist Network, intended to include Ecosocialsts, from various political parties or none.
Green Left, a left tendency within the Green Party of England and Wales decided to support this step in a recent poll of its members and some initial responses suggest that others also share the perception that there is a political opening for Ecosocialists to get organised, and indeed an urgent need to make this happen.
We are holding an organising meeting on 4 February in London. If you are interested in attending this meeting and/or joining a ESNet mailing list, please contact: yrrumuk@googlemail.com

GL BLOGPOLICY

This Blog aims to provide a discussion forum for and about Green Left. Postings to it may be text or graphics, they do not have to be absolutely in accord with the views of Green Left, nor, since one of Green Left's current aims is to change the policies of the Green Party of England and Wales do they have to be in accord with the policies of GPEW.

Postings can be sent to yrrumuk@googlemail.com .The Committee of Green Left reserves the right to refuse any posting.